Departure from Hanover

When the rose-painted plane, a few minutes after take-off at 2 p.m. at low altitude and escorted by two small planes, hovered again over the north runway of Langenhagen Airport, Uwe Thomas “flapped” the plane’s wings in farewell. One of the many emotional moments that morning for the people left behind on the ground.

Four hours before, the first visitors had appeared in the small General Aviation terminal. Relatives and friends came to say a fond farewell to our pilots. A little later, an entire entourage of journalists arrived. Fifteen editorial offices - newspapers, television broadcast and radio stations, as well as press agencies were on the airport’s press registration list. For about two hours, pilot, co-pilot and Maria Carstensen patiently answered the camera teams’, radio reporters’ and journalists’ questions. “Rarely have there been so many people in the General Aviation terminal”, said the Airport’s managing director Dr. Raoul Hille in his short address. The Mayor of Hanover, Bernd Strauch, handed over an official address to Uwe for the citizens of the twin city Hiroshima and surprised him by saying the mayor of the Japanese city would be welcoming the crew. Hiroshima is one of altogether 55 stopovers during the flight around the world. The founder and chairman of the German World Population Foundation, Erhard Schreiber, wished the pilots good luck and health and presented a small ladybird, symbolic of good luck in Germany, to Uwe and Maria.

About one hour before the take-off towards Vienna, Uwe and Sebastian left the farewell committee after a great deal of hugging and headed for their Cessna. Their pilot colleagues were not about to let them leave without a murmur, and chairman of the Aviator Club of Hanover, Peter Wanzeck, a press photographer and a cameraman got in a “Piper Turbo Arrow IV” and the CEO of the airport Raoul Hille prepared his aerobatics plane “Impulse Xcite” ready for take-off. They provided the escort for the first air miles of the round the world flight. At the same time, the three small planes took off at 2 p.m. westwards, changed course about 180 degrees after a few minutes and flew over the runway again where friends and relatives had stood to wave. The two escort planes prepared to land, but Uwe and Sebastian turned off in a south easterly direction. Or so people thought. But, unexpectedly the rose-painted plane emerged again at high altitude over the airport. Just as if the pilots couldn’t bear to say farewell to Hanover yet...